Face Painting and Balloon Twisting Blog

The World Balloon Convention (WBC) 2012 Early-bird Deadline is February 17!

If you haven’t already registered to attend the World Balloon Convention 2012, you still have time to beat the Early-bird Deadline and SAVE! Register now at WorldBalloonConvention.com.

Register Early and Pay Less:
Early-bird: Ends February 17, 2012: $695 per person
Regular: February 18 – March 25, 2012: $795 per person

Plus, if you’re a Qualatex Balloon Network Member, you’ll automatically receive an additional $50 off your registration. If you’re a Certified Balloon Artist, you’ll automatically receive an additional $50 off your registration. (That’s a total of $100 off for CBAs.)

Don’t forget that hotel accommodations must be booked separately from your WBC registration. Reserve your room at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel by February 16 to receive the discounted WBC hotel rate ($112 plus hotel tax per night).

A large group of about 100 – 150 balloon artists at the 2011 Twist and Shout in Boston met up in the Burlington Mall food court food court for a 3 twist dog balloon flash mob.

Sometimes, I wish that I could attend all of the conventions. Last month was the Florida SuperJam, a balloon jam in Florida. The description sounded great, but I found out too late to fit it in my schedule. Their website described it as the ultimate balloon jam!!! 4 days of continuous balloon twisting.

Florida SuperJam
January 11 – 14, 2012
International Palms Resort
6515 International Drive
Orlando, FL 32819
http://floridasuperjam.com/

Now, I can see some of the fun I missed with some videos of the convention posted on YouTube.

Team Building

Performing on Stage

Waiting for Ice Cream

Nancy Dalton’s balloon creation

My very first clown convention was the Circus Magic Convention in Williamsburg, VA. Circus Magic is a regional clown convention that is held each year at the end of February and that means that it is coming up soon. This year, it is February 23-26, 2012 at the Holiday Inn Patriot in Williamsburg, VA. The convention is one of several conventions run by Steve “Salty” Kissell and DJ “Fancy Pants” Ehlert.

Although this is a clown convention, they have workshops on balloon twisting, face painting, magic, and other topics that would be of interest to clowns and other types of children’s entertainers. They have a great list of instructors coming to help with the workshops. Ken Stillman will be there teaching balloons. Marcella “Mama Clown” Murad and her co-workers from Silly Farm will be there to teach face painting. Jim Howle and Leon McBryde, both former Ringling Clowns, will also be there helping with makeup and clown noses.

Circus Magic Convention
February 23-26, 2012
Holiday Inn Patriot 3032 Richmond Road
Williamsburg, VA 23185
http://www.circusmagicconvention.com/

Presented by Steve Kissell. Bringing Education Excellence to the Performing Arts! Come Celebrate, Laugh, and Learn at Circus Magic with the special theme of: Tribute to the Wizard of OZ!

I don’t find as many videos on YouTube by parents when their kids get a balloon…

Spiderman balloon

Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer

Pink Flamingo Hat

Girl wearing a Mickey Balloon Hat

Penguin Balloon from a Face Painting and Balloon Jam at Cici's Pizza

Each month, I host a face painting and balloon jam at the Cici’s Pizza in Chantilly. It is normally on the 2nd Monday of the month, and in January, our first Jam of the year will be on Monday, January 9th at 7:00pm.

You can come as early or late as you like. We are able to accept tips from the guests. The jam is open to face painters and balloon twisters of all skill levels. Bring your supplies. The jams are an opportunity to socialize with other face painters and balloon twisters, share ideas, and practice interacting with the customers at Cici’s.

Chantilly Face Painting and Balloon Jam
Monday, January 9th, 2012
Eat 6:00 – 7:00
Jam from 7:00 – Close

CiCi’s Pizza Buffet
14392 Chantilly Crossing Lane
Chantilly, VA 20151
703-961-9100

If you can’t make this jam, there are several other jams in the area. Princess Jennifer hosts a jam at the Cici’s Pizza in Falls Church on the 1st Monday of each month. Ivonne and Leandra host a jam at the Fuddruckers
in Annandale on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. You can find these jams and others on Facebook.

Balloons By Mike holding a Christmas Tree Balloon at a balloon jam

Merry Christmas from Mike Becvar aka Balloons By Mike and Sir Toony Van Dukes the host and moderator of the Face Painting and Balloon Twisting Blog.

It is hard to believe that we are almost at the end of 2011. This has been a good year for me. I am very thankful for my friends who have helped me along the way. I host a monthly face painting and balloon twisting jam which has proven to be a great way to both get time to practice and share ideas with others.

I am making a new years resolution to put more time into writing content for this blog. Hopefully, you will enjoy the posts to come in the new year.

It is a fact I quickly learned when doing balloons outside in the summer. A balloon left in the sun will eventually pop. While there are probably multiple things that lead the balloon to pop, I think a big issue is the increase in volume of the air trapped inside the balloon as it heats up in the sunlight. Eventually, it will expand enough to pop the balloon.

You don’t need to have a complete understanding of Thermodynamics to understand that there is a relationship between temperature, pressure, and volume of a gas. When you trap a fixed amount of air inside a container then heat the air one of two things will happen. If the container is solid, like a glass jar, the pressure inside the container will increase. If the container is able to expand like a balloon, the volume of the air will increase. The opposite is also true. If you cool the air, the pressure will decrease or the volume will decrease.

Last winter, I made myself a balloon hat while working at a local restaurant. When I left, I decided to walk to a store on the opposite side of the parking lot before heading home. It was a cold night and before I made it to the store, I noticed my hat was becoming limp and suspected that one of the balloons had popped. I took the balloon hat off and noticed it was much smaller, but within a minute of walking into the warm store, the balloon hat returned to its former size. What had happened? I had made the balloon inside a warm building and then took it outside where the temperature was freezing cold. The air inside the balloons cooled off and caused the volume of air to decrease making the balloons shrink. Once I returned to a warmer location, the air inside the balloons was able to expand and inflate the balloons to their normal volume.

While it is an interesting effect, it is important to realize the impact that temperature will have on balloons. When doing balloons outside on a cool day, it is important to realize that if the kids take the balloons inside a warmer building that the air inside the balloons will expand and increase the chance of the balloon popping. If making balloons inside when it is cold outside, it is equally important to realize that the balloon will deflate a bit when the kids go outside.

Each month, I host a face painting and balloon jam at the Cici’s Pizza in Chantilly, VA. It is normally on the 2nd Monday of the month, and in
December 2011, the official jam will be on Monday, December 12th. This month, we will share ideas on designs for the upcoming holidays.

Note: The theme is more a conversation starter for the dinner period of the jam. It is not a lecture but an open opportunity to ask questions of the group or share what has worked in the past. come with your questions and ideas… Bring your ideas and an open mind for the discussion.

Arrive when you can… I will try to arrive around 6:00 and plan to eat first. The jam continues until Cici’s closes at 9:00pm. You can come as early or late as you like. We are able to accept tips from the guests.

The jam is open to face painters and balloon twisters of all skill levels. Bring your supplies.

Chantilly Face Painting and Balloon Jam
Monday, December 12th, 2011
Eat 6:00 – 7:00
Jam from 7:00 – Close

CiCi’s Pizza Buffet
14392 Chantilly Crossing Lane
Chantilly, VA 20151
703-961-9100

If you can’t make this jam, there are several other jams in the area. Princess Jennifer hosts a jam at the Cici’s Pizza in Falls Church on the 1st Monday of each month. Ivonne and Leandra host a jam at the Fuddruckers in Annandale on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. You can find these jams and others on Facebook.

Sometimes, you just need to get out and have some fun.

Sir Toony Van Dukes and his friends from Just Clowning Around of Northern Virginia

On Friday, November 25th, 2011, Mike Becvar went out as Sir Toony Van Dukes and joined several of his friends from Just Clowning Around of Northern Virginia (JCA) and participated in the Reston Holiday Parade at the Reston Town Center.

Several of my friends from JCA are also balloon twisters and face painters. They have helped me become a better clown, face painter, and balloon twister. Getting together for parades is a way for us to have fun and give back to the community by spreading smiles to large groups of people.